Allen will face the winner of the Bossier-Shreveport/Tulsa game being played on Saturday night.

David Strathman opened the scoring for the Americans.  He netted the first goal of the game 8:38 into the opening period, assisted by teammates Nino Musitelli and Bruce Graham.

It looked like Allen was going to go to the locker room with the one-goal lead, but then with 23 seconds left in the period, Colton Yellow Horn was whistled down on a slashing call, putting the Jackalopes on the power play.

With the man advantage, Odessa evened up the score.  Mike Ramsay fired a puck on net through traffic, and it found a way into the net with ten seconds left to play in the 1st period.

The score was tied 1-1 at the 1st intermission, with Allen leading Odessa in shots, 12-7.

The game remained tied until the final minute of the 2nd period.  With just 6.4 seconds left to play in the frame, there was a pile-up in front of the Odessa net.  Allen forward Dave Bonk managed to get a stick on the puck and get it past Jackalopes netminder Joel Martin to give Allen a 2-1 lead heading into the third period.

Allen outshot Odessa 13-7 in the second period, to make the two period total 25-14.

The two teams came out again in the 3rd period and engaged once more in a scoreless battle.  Strong defensive play by both clubs kept the score at 2-1until the final minute of the 3rd period.

Still down a goal, the Jackalopes pull their goaltender for the extra forward skater.  The Americans were hemmed into their own zone, trapped by a tenacious Odessa forecheck.  Strong play by Jarret Lukin got the puck out of the zone where it was jumped on by Yellow Horn.  The star forward potted the goal into the empty net and sealed the Jackalopes fate.

The Americans are waiting to find out who their opponent will be in the Berry Conference Finals.  The Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs and Tulsa Oilers are tied at 2-2 in their series, and will play a decisive Game 5 on Saturday night.

Allen Americans defenseman Jonathan Zion carries the puck out of a corner with teammate Bruce Graham looking on. The Americans fell to the Odessa Jackalopes in Game 2 of their semi-final Series, 5-2. They trail Odessa 0-2 in the five-game series. (Photo Credit: Amy Gutierrez/Allen Americans)

The game started rather quietly, but as it went along the hits began to mount, and the tempers did too.  Passions boiled over midway through the first period, after Allen forward Kip Brennan was called for boarding.  The gritty winger was assessed five minutes for the penalty, but also given a ten minute game misconduct for the infraction.

The ensuing five-minute power play led to many moments of outrage for Americans fans in attendance.  A few minutes into the penalty, Allen’s six-foot-seven center Bruce Graham was clipped in the face by a Jackalopes stick, but the infraction either wasn’t seen by the linesmen or referee, or it was not viewed as a penalty.

Then, Odessa took advantage of the extra man by posting a pair of goals on the scoreboard.

Todd Robinson scored two goals in a 48-second span to get the Jacks up, 2-0.  The first was a puck put on net from a bad angle that deflected off Americans goalie Chris Whitley and into the net.  The second was a seeing-eye puck that appeared to deflect off of Odessa forward Sebastien Thinel and past Whitley.

The Americans’ penalty kill kept the Jackalopes from capitalizing further, giving fans hope that a lucky bounce or quick breakaway could get their team within a goal.

The two teams skated to their locker rooms with the Jackalopes leading 2-0 after 20 minutes of play.  The Americans held the lead in shots, 8-2, until the 5:00 major to Brennan.  On the advantage, they were outshot 8-0.  They quickly regained the shot lead after the penalty ended, and led 11-10 at the intermission.

Shortly into the second period, Robinson helped to increase the Odessa lead.  Patrick Mbaraga blasted a Robinson pass into the net at the 11:04 mark, and Odessa seemed to be running away with the game, 3-0.

Americans forward Jarret Lukin finally got Allen on the scoreboard with just under seven minutes remaining in the second period.  Lukin drove to the net through the slot as teammate Nino Musitelli fired a shot on net from the wing.  Martin made the stop but gave up a rebound to Lukin, who punched in the rebound.

The score remained 3-1 as the two teams entered the second intermission.  The Americans out-shot the Jackalopes 9-4 in the 2nd period, and 20-14 through two periods.

Odessa came out firing in the final frame, though, and quickly put the game out of reach for the Jackalopes.  Goals by Matt Gens and Jeff Pierce had Odessa up by a score of 5-1, just 2:10 into the third period.

The Americans tried to get back into the game, cutting the Jackalopes’ lead to three with 7:47 left in regulation.  Allen captain Tobias Whelan scored to make the score 5-2, but that was as close as the Americans would get.

The game drew to a close in frustrating fashion for Allen, as Colton Yellow Horn and Liam Huculak each earned game misconducts for actions on the ice, and additional penalties were doled out for roughing and fighting.

Odessa finished the game with 28 penalty minutes on 11 infractions, while Allen racked up 67 minutes on 17 infractions.

Backed into a corner, the Americans will now be faced with must-win situations in every upcoming game in the series.  The Jackalopes need just a single victory to advance to their third consecutive conference final.  Allen will get their first opportunity to extend the series on Tuesday night in Odessa.

Photo by: Amy Gutierrez of the Allen Americans staff

Allen Americans forward Judd Blackwater rips a shot on net that is stopped by Odessa Jackalopes goalie David McKee. Allen defeated Odessa 6-2 in a Sunday afternoon game at the Allen Event Center. (Photo Credit: Chip Crail)

The Allen Americans hosted the Odessa Jackalopes in a matinee showdown on Sunday afternoon.  With both teams playing their third game in three days, tired legs and minds were expected in the game.  What was not expected was the Americans early dominance.  Allen pounded Odessa early, posting five goals in the first two periods.  The lead proved to be insurmountable for the Jackalopes, as the Americans skated off with the win, 6-2.

“It was good to get through relatively unscathed,” Americans head coach Dwight Mullins said.  ”It’s always nice to win.  It was a big game for us to win because it was a game in hand on Colorado and Rapid City.”

With the victory, Allen improves to 41-13-2 on the season, extending their lead in the Berry Conference to 17 points over second place Texas.  They continue to have the best record in the Central Hockey League – 12 points higher than Colorado and Rapid City.  Allen continues to hold games in hand over both teams, as well.

“I think at this point in time, we’re just trying to find our groove and a rhythm,” Mullins said.  ”We’re trying to get some continuity with line combinations and different things as much as we can, too.  We’re looking forward to a stretch in the next ten days where we can maybe have a couple of practices, which really help us build a little more structure into our team game.”

Allen jumped ahead early in the Sunday afternoon tilt.  Forward Dave Nimmo hopped on a rebound opportunity at the 3:50 mark of the first period, and put Allen up 1-0.

They extended that lead to 2-0 less than three minutes later.  Colton Yellow Horn hit Nino Musitelli in the slot with a pass, and Musitelli buried a wrist shot behind Odessa (and former Americans) goaltender David McKee.

Americans netminder Chris Whitley was busy but solid in the first period, stopping all 17 shots he faced, as Allen took their 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

The Americans opened up their lead just 4:27 into the 2nd period.  Allen defenseman Jonathon Zion fed forward Dave Bonk outside the crease and Bonk wristed a puck high in the net over McKee’s pads.

Bruce Graham extended that lead further with his 30th goal of the season midway through the period.  Team captain Tobias Whelan fed Graham the puck cruising into the Jackalopes zone, and the big center uncorked a hard wrist shot through the five-hole on McKee to put Allen up 4-0.

With 1:46 remaining in the middle frame, the Americans pushed their lead to five. Yellow Horn wired a shot on goal that McKee stopped, but coughed up a juicy rebound.  Nimmo was there to hop on the puck and knock it past the beleaguered Odessa goalie for his second goal of the game and give Allen a 5-0 lead.

Whitley continue to frustrate the Jackalopes, stopping all shots he faced.  The Americans goalie turned away ten more shots in the 2nd period, pushing his total to 27 saves on 27 shots.

Odessa made a change in net to start the 3rd period, bringing in back up Mike Mole.  The change between the pipes seemed to spark the Jackalopes, as they scored two times in 4:15 to start the 3rd period.

The Jacks started the period on the power play and cashed in on it just 29 seconds into the frame.  Mike Ramsay tipped a point shot from defenseman Alex Dunn into the net, getting Odessa on the scoreboard and ruining Whitley’s bid for a shutout.

Odessa tried to make things interesting just a few minutes later, as they trimmed Allen’s lead to three.  Luke Stauffacher scored for the Jackalopes at the 4:15 mark, and it was now a 5-2 Allen lead.

But, Allen put the proverbial nail in the coffin with a power play goal late in the 3rd period.  With 5:56 left to play in the 3rd period, Zion made a quick drop pass to Yellow Horn who opened up space as he skated toward the net.  He laced a quick pass to Graham near the net, who popped it in to give the Americans a 6-2 lead.

Americans goalie Chris Whitley locked down the net after allowing the two goals early in the 3rd period.  He stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced between the pipes, playing his third game in three days.

Mullins confirmed what goaltender Scott Campbell had already mentioned on Twitter – the backup netminder is sidelined with an injury sustained early in the Bossier-Shreveport game on Saturday night.  Campbell tweeted that the injury was a torn hip flexor and adductor.  Mullins is expecting that Campbell could lose a significant amount of time with the injury, but said the team was still exploring options as far as backups are concerned.

In the win, Colton Yellow Horn pushed his point streak to 16 games, posting three assists against the Jackalopes and earning the 2nd star of the game.

The Americans get back to work on Tuesday night, when they travel to Odessa and face the Jackalopes at Ector County Coliseum.  The puck drops at 7:05 CST.

Photo by Chip Crail

Allen Americans forward Jarret Lukin scores in the 2nd period of Friday night's game against the Texas Brahmas, putting his team up 1-0. The Americans went on to win the game, 3-2. (Photo Credit: John O'Neill)

The Allen Americans took on their cross-town rivals, the Texas Brahmas, on Friday night at the Allen Event Center in front of a season-high 4,626 fans in attendance.

The Brahmas wouldn’t let the Americans pull away in the game, and kept the score close until the waning minutes of the match, but Allen was able to send their fans home happy as Tobias Whelan scored the game-winning goal with 5:07 left to play in the third period, and the Americans hung on for the win.

“Obviously we’re in a dogfight to finish first overall,” said Allen Americans head coach Dwight Mullins.  ”We want to work hard and try to keep things moving forward and get our game in shape to head to the playoffs.  We have a little over a month to go and it’s important that we’re successful and they’re good hard games for our team.”

The Americans started the game with a strong first period, peppering Brahmas goaltender Wayne Savage with 18 shots on net.  Savage was equal to the task, though, repelling all of the Allen shots on goal, and keeping his team in a scoreless game.  Dave Nimmo led all Allen shooters with 4 shots, but 12 different shooters tested Savage in the first period.

Still, the game was scoreless after 20 minutes.

“I thought we did a really good job of getting pucks to the net and I thought we had good tempo,” Mullins said of his team’s first period performance.  ”We probably should have come away with a little bit of a lead, but at the end of the day I thought we stayed to our plan for the most part.”

Allen and Texas battled back and forth again in the 2nd period, keeping one another off the scoreboard for the majority of the frame.

It was the Americans who would first get on the board, with 3:41 left in the 2nd period.  Tobias Whelan chased down a puck in the Brahmas zone in the corner and fired it into the slot where Jarret Lukin was crashing the net.  Lukin redirected the puck for the first goal of the game.

The lead wouldn’t hold for long, though, as the Brahmas tied it up on a power play goal.  Greg Hogeboom evened the game at 1-1 with 53 seconds left in the frame, and the two teams went into the 2nd intermission, once again tied.

The Americans took the lead once again in the opening minutes of the 3rd period.  Bruce Graham netted his 29th goal of the season on the power play for Allen.  Big forward Kip Brennan took root in front of the net, drawing the attention of both defensemen and the goaltender, and Graham was able to lace a shot past Savage to put the Americans up 2-1.

“You put a big body like that in front of the net, it’s hard to deal with it,” Mullins said.  ”The goaltender has to deal with it, the D have to deal with it, and then you allow your skill on the perimeter to be able to make plays.  It’s worked successfully for us.”

The Brahmas drew even with the Americans once again, though.  Just over halfway through the 3rd period, new Texas forward Chris Brassard scored his first goal as a Brahma, and tied the game at 2-2.

Then, with just 5:07 left, Tobias Whelan put them ahead to stay.  Americans defenseman Jonathan Zion made a skillful pass through the slot to Whelan on the rush, and the Americans’ captain tipped it over Savage’s pads for the go-ahead tally.

In the final five minutes of play, the Americans defense came up strong, defending a concerted push from Texas.  Allen also had to deal with a final man-advantage from the Brahmas in the final 1:55 of the period, and Americans goaltender Chris Whitley made some of his best saves of the evening.

Whitley finished the night with 32 saves on 34 shots.

The Americans improve to 37-11-2 with the win.  Allen will host the Turner Conference’s third-place Bloomington PrarieThunder on Saturday night.  The game will be a  little different from others this season, as the Americans have no experience playing against the PrarieThunder, a newcomer to the CHL this season.

“We tried to watch a little bit (of video on them) last night.  It should be a good game.  We’re going to have to continue to come.  We’re really trying to work on ourselves right now and build on some core things.  We’ll probably have to feel our way through the first period and make some adjustments as we go, but I’m excited to see them play.”

Photo Gallery by John O’Neill:

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Dallas Stars captain Brendan Morrow celebrates after his goal in the 3rd period of Thursday night's game against the Calgary Flames. Morrow's goal put the Stars up 2-1 at the time, but the Flames came back to win the game, 3-2, in the shootout. (Photo Credit: Shannon Byrne)

The Dallas Stars hosted the Calgary Flames on Thursday night at the American Airlines Center in their final game before the short Christmas break.

Although they came up short of the victory, the Stars were able to push Calgary into overtime, earning a point in the 3-2 overtime loss to the Flames.  The Stars are now in a first-place tie with the Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings.

“We’re disappointed with the way we played tonight,” said Stars head coach Marc Crawford.  ”It wasn’t anywhere close to the type of game we’ve come to expect from ourselves.”

“On the positive side,” he continued, “our guys were disappointed after the game.  So, from an organizational standpoint, that’s what we’d expect from them.  we’d be disappointed if they didn’t have a huge amount of disappointment in the way that we played.”

Dallas began the first period with a spark from one of their key young players – Jamie Benn.  It wasn’t necessarily the spark you’d expect from Benn, though.  Just over seven minutes into the game, Benn checked Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano into the boards at the end of the Dallas bench, where Giordano collided with a glass partition.

Flames captain Jerome Iginla took exception to the hit and challenged Benn in open ice.  The two dropped gloves and went at one another.  Benn opened up a cut over Iginla’s eye, but the crafty veteran got in quite a few licks of his own as well.  The fight went on for nearly a minute and left both players looking exhausted.

Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn squares off against Calgary Flames captain Jerome Iginla in Thursday night's game. (Photo Credit: Shannon Byrne)

“I think he announces his presence and he announces that he’s not only a good player but he’s also a tough and honest competitor,” Crawford said about Benn.  ”Give Jerome a lot of credit – he stood up for his teammate, Giordano, who got hit on the play.  Jerome’s a very tough and honest guy.  I think that he can appreciate that.  I’m sure when he was that age he probably did something like that as well.  Jamie – it probably took a lot out of him, that fight.  That was a long, long battle and we didn’t use Jamie on the penalty kill much after that.  We knew that altercation took a lot of energy out of both players.”

Just under halfway through the 1st period, Steve Ott was whistled down for a tripping penalty against former Stars forward Niklas Hagman.  The Stars killed the majority of the penalty, but with one second remaining in the advantage, defenseman Anton Babchuck blasted a shot from along the boards and beat Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen on the short side just above the leg pad.

The Stars were given a power play opportunity of their own in the waning minutes of the opening period.  With just over three minutes left to play in the first, Flames forward Tim Jackman shot the puck over the glass from the Calgary defensive zone and was called for delay of game.

On the ensuing man-advantage,  Loui Eriksson got a pass from the point and worked it over to Mike Robeiro who blasted a one-time shot that beat Flames goalie Miikka Kiiprusoff over the glove to tie the game at 1-1.

The first period closed with the two teams tied.

The Flames dominated the offensive side of play through the 2nd period.  They out-shot the bewildered Stars 7-1 through the first half of the frame and 10-2 by the time the buzzer closed the period.  Nicklas Grossman and Loui Eriksson were the only Dallas players to get the puck on Kiprusoff in the period.

But, although they struggled with finding their shots, the Stars’ stayed tied with the Flames, 1-1, after 40 minutes of play.

Early in the 3rd period, the Stars jumped on an opportunity.  The Stars worked the puck deep into the Calgary zone.  Benn dished the puck over to Ribeiro who put a hard shot toward the net where Brendan Morrow was camped.  Morrow couldn’t get the redirection of the shot, but picked the rebound up from Kiprusoff’s pads and roofed the puck high into the net to give Dallas it’s first lead of the night, 2-1.

Calgary kept pressing, continuing to out-shoot Dallas who struggled at times to clear their zone.  Kari Lehtonen kept the puck-weary Stars in the game, making several mammoth saves at crucial times.

But the Flames were able to find a goal when it really counted.  Calgary sprang a breakaway after a Dallas miscue in the neutral zone.  Flames forward Alex Tanguay broke into the Stars zone with a step on his defender and just over a minute left in the 3rd period.  Tanguay roofed a hard wrist shot to tie the game up once again at 2-2.

Lehtonen finished regulation having stopped 24 of 25 Calgary shots in the final two periods, and 29 of 31 overall.  His fortitude in net was a big reason that Dallas was able to push the Flames into overtime.

In the overtime period, both teams exchanged opportunities, but the Stars biggest chance came with a little over two minutes remaining.  James Neal skated the puck in front of the net while fighting off his defender.  He put two shots on net that Kiprusoff made a split to stop.

With no decision after 65 minutes, the two teams went to the shootout.

Tanguay was the only player from either team to come up with a goal in the shootout.  The veteran forward slowly backed Lehtonen into net and, after deking to get the goaltender to drop, shot the puck high and buried it top shelf for the score.

“Give Calgary credit,” Crawford said.  ”They came in here with a very determined game and they played a hard game and they got pucks to the net and they got their break at the end.  On the bright side we got a point and on the other bright side, if you’d have said at the start of the season we’d be tied for first place going into the Christmas break in the Western Conference, we’d all be pretty happy.  We should be pretty happy.  I told the guys after the game to enjoy the two days with their families, enjoy Christmas, and then just come back extremely prepared when we start up again on the 26th.”

“You have to park this one as quick as you can.  It’s great that our guys get two days completely away from the rink because right now we’ve played a lot of hockey in the last little while and we have another real busy week after Christmas and we want to be playing great again.”

Notable:

• The Stars have collected points in 14 of their last 16 games (11-2-3).
• Dallas is 10-0-3 over the last 13 home games.  They are 12-3-3- this season at the American Airlines Center – the second-best home record in the Western Conference.
• Dallas has now collected points in each of its last 13 home games.  The last time Dallas recorded a point in 13-straight home games was during the 2003-2004 season, when the team collected points in 17-straight home games and went 13-0-4 during that stretch.
• The Stars have scored a power play goal in seven-straight games, going 7-for-26 (26.9%) in that stretch.  The last time the Stars had six consecutive games with a power play goal was March 15-30, 2007, when they scored a PPG in eight-straight.
• With the point against the Flames, the Stars have points in five-straight games taking place on December 23rd and have outscored the opposition 36-18 in that span.
• Brad Richards has a five-game point streak (3G, 2A) and has points in 17 of his last 21 games (10G, 12A).  Loui Eriksson also had a five-game point streak (3G, 6A) and has points in seven of his last nine games (5G, 7A).
• Brendan Morrow’s goal on Thursday marks his fourth goal in the last five Stars games.  Morrow has four  goals in the six games he’s played with the full-face shield he’s wearing to protect his broken nose.
• Kari Lehtonen has a 7-0-3 record over his last 10 home games (he hasn’t lost in regulation since October 28th against the Los Angeles Kings).  Additionally, he has a .915 save percentage, stopping 280-of-306 shots.  When Lehtonen faces 30+ shots in a game, he has a 7-2-2 record.
• The Stars have December 24th and 25th off – no practices.  The team will hold a morning skate on December 26th at 10:30 AM at American Airlines Center.  Dallas hosts the Phoenix Coyotes that night at 7:00 PM.

BDH’s 3 Stars:

1. Alex Tanguay (CAL) – The veteran forward scored a goal for the Flames with under two minutes to play and then gave his team the win with a goal in the shootout round.  He was Mr. Clutch for Calgary.
2. Kari Lehtonen (DAL) – Without the strong play of their goaltender, Dallas could have easily lost this game 4-2 in regulation.  Lehtonen made several key stops in the 2nd and 3rd period to keep this a close game.
3. Mike Ribeiro (DAL) – A goal and an assist for Ribeiro, who looked solid all night long.  Ribs had a nice defensive night as well.

Allen Americans captain Jarret Lukin brings the puck up ice in Friday night's North Texas Vintage Series game between the Americans and the Texas Brahmas. Allen won the game, 5-3. (Photo Credit: Chip Crail)

The Allen Americans hosted the Texas Brahmas on Friday night, kicking off the North Texas Vintage Series for this year which had the Americans wearing Dallas Freeze jerseys and the Brahmas sporting a modified version of the Fort Worth Fire jersey.

Allen scored two goals in the second period and added another pair in the third to take a 5-3 victory in the first game of the series.

The Americans’ Scott Langdon had a crushing hip check early in the first period, bringing the Allen Event Center to its feet.

Seconds later, Brahmas forward Nathan Saunders dropped gloves with Langdon, earning both players five minutes in the penalty box.

There was no scoring until the 15:14 mark of the first period, and then there were three goals scored in the span of 2:05.

Greg Hogeboom got Texas on the board first with the Brahmas on the power play.  The big forward received a pass on the left point and let loose with a booming slapshot that found the net.

Less than two minutes later, the Brahmas expanded their lead to 2-0.  The Americans struggled to possess the puck in their own zone and then failed on a clearing attempt.  The puck came to Chris Moran who wristed a shot past Allen goaltender Scott Campbell.

But the Americans were quick to respond.  With 2:40 left in the opening period, Brian McMillin  pushed a loose puck past diving Texas goaltender Wayne Savage and cut the Brahmas’ lead in half, 2-1.

Just under four minutes into the 2nd period, Judd Blackwater found the equalizer for the Americans.  Blackwater took a shot from distance which Savage stopped, but Blackwater followed his shot and hit a knuckling rebound over Savage to tie the game at 2-2.

Allen got a power play opportunity just minutes later, and their captain gave them their first lead of the night.  Mike Berube circled behind the net and found Jarret Lukin parked near the Brahmas net.  Lukin was stopped on his first attempt but managed to stuff the puck past Savage to put the Americans up 3-2 with 13:07 left in the 2nd period.

The two teams traded chances, but neither could register another goal before the 2nd intermission, and the Americans lead 3-2 at the break.

Just a couple of minutes into the 3rd period, the Brahmas tied it.  Chris Moran picked up a juicy rebound off the end boards and beating Campbell with a quick wrister for his second goal of the night.

But, the Americans responded quickly.  Just over five minutes into the period, Justin Decosta put Allen back out in front, 4-3, with his 4th goal of the year.

The Brahmas took two penalties in the second half of the 3rd period that kept their team in a defensive mode, and prevented them from pushing on offense.

Texas pulled their goaltender with about a minute left to play, but the Americans were able to work the puck out of their zone and out to David Nimmo who deposited it into the empty net for the insurance goal.

With the win, the Americans jumped into first place in the Berry Conference again.  They currently hold a one-point lead over the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, but also hold four games in hand.

Notable: After Friday night’s game, the CHL announced that Americans head coach Dwight Mullins would be one of the co-coaches of the CHL All-Star Team.  The two coaches of the team are selected from the top teams in the league as of Christmas Day.  With just two more games to play before the holiday, the Americans secured the best record with Friday night’s win over Texas.  The CHL All-Star Game will be played on January 12, 2011 in Rapid City, SD.

Thanks to Chip Crail of 43 Photography for the use of the game photo.

Dallas Stars captain Brendan Morrow reacts to the game-winning goal by defenseman Stephane Robidas. The Stars won the game against the Minnesota Wild in overtime, 4-3. (Photo Credit: Shannon Byrne)

The Dallas Stars hosted the Minnesota Wild at the American Airlines Center on Saturday Night, looking for their sixth consecutive win – a feat they hadn’t accomplished in nearly three years.

Dallas managed to get that win thanks to an overtime goal by defenseman Stephane Robidas.  His tally in the extra frame gave Dallas the 4-3 win and continued the Stars’ winning ways.

“Richie just drove to the net,” Robidas said, describing the play that led to his goal.  ”(He) kinda backed everyone up towards the net and Ribby just slid it to me.  I wouldn’t say it was a bad pass, because Ribby’s a good passer, but it was of in front of me so I had to kind of reach for it.  I had in mind to shoot it right away, so I just put it towards the net and it went in.  It’s not a pretty goal, but I’ll take it.”

So will the Dallas Stars.  The win gives them the 3rd best home record in the NHL and continues their winning streak.

“I thought we gutted it out in the 3rd period,” Stars Head Coach Marc Crawford said.  ”We didn’t have our best stuff tonight.  And part of it is because Minnesota really played well and they’re desperate right now.  Give them credit – they played with some desperation, especially late.  So on that side, we’re really really happy with the way our guys dug in tonight and found a way (to win).”

Dallas jumped ahead early on a goal from an unlikely candidate.  With the Stars on the power play, Karlis Skrastins skated the puck to the middle of the ice, just under the blue line and let loose with a wrist shot through a screen.  The puck found it’s way over the stick-side shoulder of Wild goaltender Jose Theodore.

Dallas took the 1-0 lead over Minnesota into the locker room after 20 minutes.

The first half of the 2nd period could be best characterized by an abundance of blocked shots and turnovers from both sides.   Both teams skated from end to end quite a bit, but there were very few scoring opportunities for either team.

Dallas Stars forwards Adam Burish and Brandon Segal celebrate teammate Karlis Skrastins' 1st period goal. (Photo Credit: Shannon Byrne)

Minnesota outshot Dallas 9-1 in the opening eight minutes of the 2nd period, but were unable to convert that advantage to points on the scoreboard.

Dallas extended their lead with 8:15 to play in the middle frame.  James Neal carried the puck out of the Dallas end and into the Minnesota zone, dropping the puck for Steve Ott.  Taking advantage of some time and space, Ott skated a few strides and wristed a puck perfectly over the shoulder of Theodore to put the Stars up 2-0.

Minnesota got on the board at the 17:34 mark of the 2nd period.  After Saku Koivu took the puck hard to the net from along the goal line, the Wild crashed the net.  The puck went off of former Stars forward Antti Miettinen’s glove and into the Dallas net.  Officials took a look at the play in review, but the goal stood.

Dallas hung on to a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Chuck Kobasew got the equalizer for Minnesota just 1:41 into the 3rd period.  Cal Clutterbuck put a shot on net from a sharp angle.  Lehtonen got most of the puck but not all of it and the puck trickled through the crease.  Kobasew was in great position to poke it in and did so, tying the game at 2-2.

But the Stars would take the lead again just a few minutes later, at the 5:57 mark.  Trevor Daley fed the puck to Adam Burish in front of the net, who spun and whipped a shot on the backhand past Theodore for the 3-2 lead.

Minnesota wouldn’t go away though, and found a way to tie the game once again with just over three minutes left in regulation.  The Wild caught Stars netminder Kari Lehtonen playing a bit aggressively, and when Lehtonen collided with players just outside of the crease, Martin Havlat was able to put away the goal for the Minnesota to make it 3-3.

“I thought that (even though) they got two goals in the 3rd period, I thought the 3rd period was our best period,” Crawford said.  ”I thought we went to the net well.  I thought we got puts to the net.  We were determined with pucks in the offensive zone.  We got the goal to put us ahead 3-2, and I thought that was huge because they scored early in the 3rd period.

“Often times when you don’t have your best stuff, you maybe start to question a few things and you can go the other way really easily.  I was really pleased and happy and proud of how we responded in the 3rd period.”

The game went to overtime, and the Stars had to dig deep to find the goal in the extra period.  But once again they did, and that ability to find a goal when it’s really needed is becoming a characteristic of this Dallas squad.  They’re proving themselves to be a team that is difficult to play against when the game is on the line.

“That’s a character of this team, especially at home.” said Ott.  ”We’ve played great hockey.  We continue to do good things especially in crucial times of the game.  And tonight the power play shows up in overtime and we win a hockey game.  maybe it wasn’t out best game of the six we have going here, but we stuck together and (showed) big character again.”

The Dallas Stars team celebrates on the ice after Stephane Robidas overtime game-winning goal. (Photo Credit: Shannon Byrne)

“It wasn’t our best game,” Robidas echoed.  ”We didn’t play that good.  We kind of let them in the game and that’s not something we’re proud of.  We should have put the game away when we could.  The good thing is we found a way to win – that’s the key thing.  Anytime you can find a way to win it’s good.  But we’ve got to learn from it.  We have to know it’s not going to work like that every night.  If you play like that most nights you won’t win.  It may be a little wake up call for us:  make sure you play a good sixty minutes.”

The Stars went with seven defensemen in the game on Saturday, deciding to scratch forward Aaron Gagnon in place of defenseman Philip Larsen, both of whom were recently called up from the Texas Stars.

“I thought he was really good.  He comes up with speed and he’s not afraid to shoot.  We’re seeing the tip of the iceberg with young Philip.  We played him tonight because we weren’t sure Trevor Daley was going to play tonight and that’s why we called him up.  We dressed seven just to protect Trevor.  Trevor was not feeling good today and we weren’t quite sure but he gutted it out too and I thought Trevor played real well.”

Notable:

• The Dallas Stars are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.  That marks the best 10-game stretch since January 10 – February 3, 2009 when the Stars went 7-1-2.
• Dallas has now won six-in-a-row for the first time this season.  In that six-game span, they have outscored the opposition 17-9 and have stopped 14 of the last 15 opposition power plays (93.3%).  the last time the Stars won six in a row was January 29 – February 11, 2008 when they won seven consecutive games.
• The Stars are 8-0-1 over the last nine home games.  Dallas is 10-3-1 this season at the American Airlines Center – the 3rd best home record (by points percentage) in the league behind Washington (12-1-1) and Detroit (10-1-2).
• The team extended their home win streak against Minnesota to 13 and it is the longest current home winning streak by the Stars over any opponent.  Dallas has won six straight over Detroit (6-0-0), four straight over Carolina (4-0-0) and New Jersey (4-0-0).
• Stephane Robidas scored his 1st game-winning goal since October 17, 2009 (vs. Chicago).  He now has six career game-winners.
• Adam Burish’s goal tonight marked his second goal in his last four home games.
• Kari Lehtonen recorded his 2nd assist of the season tonight, and 13th overall.  He is now tied for the NHL lead in goaltender assist with Montreal’s Carey Price (each have two).  Additionally, he is undefeated in regulation over his last seven home games (6-0-1).
• Mike Ribeiro’s assist tonight (on the game-winning goal) extended his point streak to six games (2G, 4A).

BDH’s 3 Stars:

1. Steve Ott (DAL) – The pesky forward had a goal and an assist in the win and was a distraction for some of the Wild’s top players all night long.
2. Adam Burish (DAL) – Burish’s spinning goal in the 3rd period will be a highlight reel moment for this season, but his physical play throughout the game helped the Stars get this win.
3. Stephane Robidas (DAL) – The defenseman picked up his sixth career game-winning goal, and proved why he’s part of the heart and soul of this team.

Allen Americans defenseman Erik Adams battles Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs forward Travis Clayton for position in front of Allen goalie Adrien Lemay. Allen went on to win the game, 5-4. (Photo Credit: Chip Crail)

Tobias Whelan made an impression in his first game wearing the “C” as captain of the Allen Americans.  Whelan buried 3 goals for Allen and helped spark his team to a 5-4 victory over the Berry Conference-leading Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs on Friday night at the Allen Event Center.

“I got lucky, I think, offensively,” Whelan said of his performance.  ”But I was just trying to take the same approach I take every game and just work hard and provide that little bit of leadership I do for the team.  I got lucky bounces tonight so offensively I contributed.   (It’s the) first night to play the way I did and get the win is a great feeling.”

Allen Americans Head Coach Dwight Mullins was happy with the outcome of the game and pleased with his team’s performance at times, but also felt there was still room for improvement.

“I thought we were good in spurts and maybe good at the right times,” said Mullins.  ”Maybe not as consistent of a tempo as I’d like to see, but at the same time we’ve been off for a little bit.  We haven’t played at home hardly, so we’re still trying to get comfortable to the routine here, although we’re excited.  But, at the end of the day, I think we did the right things at the right times.”

Allen jumped out offensively from the start of the game.  Just 2:40 into the period, the Americans struck. Nino Musitelli, playing in his first game back from the IR, fed Judd Blackwater on the wing, who broke in on Mudbugs goaltender Brian Foster. Blackwater wristed the puck upstairs on Foster and beat him over the shoulder for the early 1-0 lead.

But the Mudbugs tied the game just minutes later. Bossier took advantage of an Allen turnover, and fed Jamie Milam who broke into the Americans zone on a short-handed breakaway. The forward made a move to get away from Justin Decosta who was chasing from behind and beat Americans goalie Adrien Lemay with a backhand shot.

Bossier took the lead half way through the period. Veteran forward Travis Clayton played a puck off the boards, slipping behind the Allen defense, and wristed a shot past Lemay for the 2-1 lead.

Allen tied the game just a couple of minutes later, though.  Kip Brennan dropped a pass behind to Tobias Whelan, who then slipped a trickling shot past Foster.

The 1st period closed with the two teams tied up at 2-2.

Americans defenseman David Strathman and Mudbugs forward David Rutherford battle for the puck. (Photo Credit: Chip Crail)

The Americans started off the 2nd period with back-to-back-to-back power plays, but couldn’t find a way to beat Foster on them, despite several good opportunities.

Allen then gave up back-to-back-to-back power plays of their own.  The strong play of the penalty kill kept Bossier from registering even a shot on the first two.  In fact, the defense kept Bossier from registering any shots at all until nearly 13 minutes into the period. Unfortunately for the Americans, that shot found the back of the net.

The Mudbugs’ Clayton fed Jeff Kyrzakos in the slot for a power play goal at the 12:55 mark of the 2nd period, giving Bossier the 3-2 advantage.

“The margin for error is so small,” noted Mullins.  ”Any time a guy makes a mistake it hurts your hockey team.  There’s only so many times you can dodge bullets, either taking penalties or not scoring on your power play when you’re playing good teams like that.”

With 3:00 remaining in the middle frame, the Americans got a prime opportunity to tie the game up once again, going on a 5-on-3 power play for 1:43.

With Foster on his back in the net after making a couple of quick stops, Whelan got a rebound from a Dave Bonk shot and stuffed it into the net to knot the game up at 3-3.

“I’m happy to see him get some success on the offensive side,” Mullins said of Whelan. “The guy puts himself in a lot of positions to score like that and it’s good to see for him.”

The Americans jumped ahead 4-3 just 38 seconds into the 3rd period. Whelan fed Bonk on a drive into the Bossier zone, and Bonk ripped a backhand shot that beat Foster over the shoulder.

Whelan made it a night to remember, scoring his third goal of the night midway through the 3rd period.

Then, on the powerplay, Whelan got the hat trick.  Allen cycled the puck around the offensive zone, getting Bossier out of position. Colton Yellow Horn fed the puck into the slot and Tobias Whelan.  Whelan tried to make a pass to Dave Nimmo, but the puck was redirected off a Bossier defenseman’s stick and into the Mudbugs net, giving the Americans a two-goal lead with just over ten minutes to play.

Bossier cut Allen’s lead to one goal with 6:48 left to play in the 3rd period. Steven Crampton faked a shot from the top of the slot and then fed it down to Clay Plume, camped beside the Allen net. Plume knocked it past a sliding Lemay to bring the Mudbugs within a single score.

But, Allen hung on tight to their lead.  Even with the Mudbugs’ goaltender pulled for the extra attacker, the Americans kept the play out of their defensive zone and did a good job of converging on the puck.

Allen improves to 16-4-0 on the season with the win, and moves into a tie for first place in the Berry Conference with the Mudbugs.

“It’s a real positive way for us to get established at home here,” Mullins said. “It sets us up to get ready for Laredo tomorrow night and hopefully have a great weekend.  The guys have really set their sights on this month of really trying to put our best foot forward.”

Whelan spoke to the media after the game about his pride in being named the captain while Jarret Lukin is away from the team indefinitely on personal leave.

“The fact that the coaching staff and the players respect me enough and trust in me to step in Luky’s shoes and try to provide the leadership that we’re going to miss from him means a lot to me and I hope I can live up to the task.”

The Americans will face the Laredo Bucks on Saturday night at 7:30 PM at the Allen Event Center.

James Neal redirects a shot from the point by Brad Richards to score his 6th goal of the season, and put the Stars up 2-0 on the Sharks. Neal scored another goal in the 3rd period, and Dallas went on to beat San Jose in overtime, 5-4. (Photo Credit: Shannon Byrne)

Mike Ribeiro has been snake-bitten all season long when it comes to scoring goals.

Through 16 regular season games, Ribeiro has no goals and has been robbed in fluke ways in a few instances.

He reversed that trend in dramatic fashion on Thursday night, scoring the game-tying goal with two minutes remaining in regulation, and getting the game-winner in overtime to help the Stars to a 5-4 victory over the San Jose Sharks.

“It’s about time,” Stars head coach Marc Crawford said with a smile.  ”I don’t think we could’ve stood another day without him scoring.  That’s what happens:  I think when you start pressing too much, everything gets heavy.  You carry the weight of the world around with you and Mike’s not a big guy so it was pretty heavy.”

Ribeiro was happy to have that weight lifted too.

“I’ve had some slumps in my career in the middle of the season, so you don’t really see it or don’t really feel it,” Ribeiro said.  ”Like, if it’s the 40th game of the year until the 50th and you don’t score it’s not as bad.  That one was from the beginning.  When you go 16 (games) at the beginning of the year it’s a little big harder.  It was getting to me.  I was a little bit frustrated the last few games too.  The boys kept joking with me and trying to keep my smile and not get me frustrated.  Just trying to stay positive with me.”

That positivity paid off on Thursday night in the form of two goals.

Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas was happy to pull out a gritty win with a team effort.

“You’ve got to find a way to win games sometimes,” Robidas said.  ”I think that’s what we did tonight and I think that’s what we’ve got to remember:  We’ve got enough scoring that we can come back in games.  We’ve just got to stick with it.  We’re not asking one guy to do it.  We can’t start playing by ourselves, we’ve just got to stick with it and play as a team, and when we play as a team I think we can do some great things.”

The Stars got out to an early lead after Brad Richards picked up a loose puck behind the net and caught Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi out of position.  Richards wrapped the puck around the left goal post and put the Stars up 1-0 just a little over five minutes into the game.

Richards helped on the Stars next goal, as well.  On the power play, the Stars moved the puck along the point.  Richards took a hard shot on net from the blue line, and James Neal was in front of Niemi to tip and redirect it through the goaltender’s legs.  The Stars led 2-0 less than halfway through the 1st period.

With time running out in the 1st period, the Sharks got themselves back in the game.  San Jose center Scott Nichol made a couple of great moves to get through the Dallas defense, and cranked a high wrist-shot on Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen that beat him.

It was 2-1 after 20 minutes of play.

Just past the midway point of the 2nd period, the Sharks drew even with the Stars.   San Jose center Joe Pavelski picked up a loose puck in traffic and skated quickly behind the Dallas net, tucking the puck around the right goal post.

San Jose took the lead on a sloppy defensive play by Dallas.  With the Sharks deep in the Stars zone, the San Jose forwards cycled the puck to Joe Pavelski.  He put the shot on net and Logan Couture got a redirection to beat Lehtonen, and put the Sharks up 3-2.

The Stars had to kill a big penalty in the closing minutes of the 2nd period and on into the 3rd.  With just 1:23 left in the middle frame, Neal was whistled for a high stick infraction.  The minor was deemed a four-minute penalty because of the damage it caused, and put the Stars in a tough position down by a goal already.

But, the Stars penalty killers continued their strong performance, and kept the Sharks off the scoreboard with the extra man, keeping their penalty kill a perfect 5-for-5 on the night.

But San Jose was able to expand its lead in the 3rd period anyway. Just a few minutes after the Sharks power play ended, there was a pileup of players in front of the Dallas net, and the puck once again squirted free to a Sharks skater.  This time it was Patrick Marleau, and he buried it into the top left corner of the net to make it 4-2, San Jose.

Marleau appeared to have a second goal just a few minutes later.  Marc Edouard Vlasic put a shot on net from the blue line and it was tipped by Marleau into the Dallas net.  But, upon review, it was determined his stick was above the net’s crossbar, and the goal was overturned.

With 2:35 left in regulation, the Stars cut the Sharks lead to a single goal.  Richards came from behind the San Jose net, and threw the puck out in front, where it found Neal who put it into the net for his second goal of the night.

Just 28 seconds later, Ribeiro tied the game after another pileup in front of Niemi.  Ribeiro found a hole through the traffic to the goal, and fired a laser of a wrist shot into the back of the net.

“He made a great move on the tying goal,” Crawford said.  ”He had to go into a tough area, he had to have a real quick stick.  He found it and he got it right upstairs.  So, for him to wait that long for a goal, he sure scored a great goal to break the slump.  And for him, being off the snide, that’s huge for our team.”

Ribeiro appeared to have the game winner, in regulation, with just 18 seconds left on the clock.  But, the goal was waived off, as the referee claimed intent to blow the whistle when Niemi appeared to have it covered.

But, after pushing the game into overtime, Ribeiro wasn’t finished.  Re-finding his flair for the dramatic, Ribeiro scored the game-winner on a tough, backhand shot, unleashing it high and beating Niemi .

“Things didn’t really go our way in the 2nd and 3rd, but we just stuck with it and kept pushing,” said Robidas.  ”I think we had a big kill in the late 2nd and early 3rd, even though they came back and got a couple of goals on us after that.  I think we just stuck with it and kept pushing and we came up with two big goals.  I think those two points are very valuable for us.”

Crawford was happy to see his team come together for the win, despite the mistakes made earlier in the evening.

“Those are fun to be a part of,” Crawford remarked on the comeback win.  ”On the other side, it’s not fun.  But on the winning side, boy, it really is fun.  It’s character building.  Had we lost this game, we were going to be a mad group because in some ways, we did make some mistakes.  The big mistake for us tonight was at the end of the 1st period.  We played such a great period – one of our best periods of the year.  So complete.  Then we had the bad shift at the end of the period where our defense didn’t talk, didn’t read a simple rush, and (the Sharks) get a great scoring chance and get some life off of it.  So give them credit, they did a terrific job of unsettling the game in the 2nd period and they got life.

“But, as I said, it’s a character builder because we stuck with it.  Whether it was just sheer guts and determination by a handful of players or just collectively, the whole group, finding a way.  At the end of the day, we found a way and that is huge for our team because you look at the alternative – that’s no fun.  And winning is.”

Notable:

• The Stars have won each of their last five home games.  The last time the team won five-in-a-row at home was January 8-29, 2010.
• The last time Dallas won a game when trailing at the end of two periods was March 8, 2010 at Washington (trailed 2-0, won 4-3 in shootout).
• Including three of five goals tonight, the line of James Neal, Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson has scored 25 of Dallas’ 53 goals this season – 47.2% of the team’s total.
• The Stars have now scored power play goals in six of their last seven home games (going 8-for-27 in that span: 29.6%)
• The Stars will practice Friday at noon at Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco.
• Dallas will host the Colorado Avalance on Saturday at 7:00 PM.

BDH’s 3 Stars:

1. Mike Ribeiro (DAL) – A pair of goals – the game-tying and game-winning scores.  The Stars hope this gets Ribeiro back in his scoring groove.
2. Brad Richards (DAL) – A goal and two primary assists in the game.
3. James Neal (DAL) – also had a pair of goals in the game, and he looked sharp with some physical play in the game as well.

Dallas Stars center Brad Richards gets a pass from James Neal in the second period of Friday night's game against the Phoenix Coyotes. Neal scored on the play, one of two on the night, as the Stars won, 6-3. (Photo Credit: Shannon Byrne)

The Dallas Stars closed out their six-game homestand on Friday night against the Phoenix Coyotes.  The Stars handed the Coyotes their fifth loss of the season, cruising easily to a 6-3 victory.

Dallas’ power play continued to its successful trend of late, as the Stars converted four of their six opportunities.  Dallas was 0-for-2 to start the game, but then scored on four straight chances.

“That third power play – if we don’t score there, it might get a little frustrating,” Stars center Brad Richards admitted.  ”But we didn’t get frustrated on the first two.  We had a couple of chances.  They play a patient game and we stayed in the same mold of being patient.  It was nice to see our power play break through.”

Both Richards and Loui Eriksson scored a pair of goals in the game, and the line of James Neal-Richards-Eriksson combined for a total of eight points.  Eriksson had four of those eight points, and scored his 200th career NHL point on the final goal of the game for Dallas.

“He’s played extremely well,” Stars Head Coach Marc Crawford said.  ”He’s a good player – you hate to break it down to that simple of an equation, but when you’re a good player, you have speed and you’ve got a good reach and you’re strong on the puck.  I think the rest is a complement to Brad Richards playing with him and James Neal playing with him and the defense moving the pucks up to them.  They’re dangerous on offense right now, largely because of their skill, but also the chemistry that’s evolving with them.  They really feel like a confident bunch right now and I think that Loui is one guy who has set himself apart.”

There was a lot of energy to start the game from the conservative crowd that had come to see the Stars play (an announced total of 12,255), something Crawford attributed to an appearance by Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington.  The skipper was at the game to drop the ceremonial first puck.  But, despite that energy in the audience, the teams looked a bit fatigued in the opening period.

“It was kind of a funny start to the game,” said Crawford. “There was lots of emotion as Ron Washington came and dropped the puck.  But then, as the game settled out, maybe because of our early penalty kills, it seemed to really be flat.  You sometimes worry about how your team is going to be when the atmosphere is at flat as it was, but we were great.”

On their third power play of the 1st period, at the 15:54 mark of the 1st period, the Stars took the lead. Mike Ribeiro fed the puck into the middle of the slot, and Loui Eriksson redirected the pass into the top right corner of the net, putting the Stars up, 1-0.

“We’re trying to shoot it more on the net and we’re finding ways to be more in front of the net and finding ways to get the puck and score,” Eriksson explained. “That’s huge for us. We need our power play to work and today it really did.”

In the first period, the Stars took eight of their first 13 shots on the power play.

The Stars extended their lead to 2-0, just 3:42 into the 2nd period.  On a Dallas 2-on-1 opportunity, James Neal feathered a pass across the middle, giving Brad Richards a wide-open net.  Richards converted the opportunity for his 5th goal of the season.

Dallas made it 3-0 on another power play opportunity just minutes later.  Brad Richards laced a shot from the point that found the net.  At first, the puck appeared to be tipped in traffic by Brenden Morrow before it reached the net.  The goal was given to Morrow in the building, but later changed to Richards.

Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett made the move at that point to pull Ilya Bryzgalov from goal and substitute in backup netminder Jason Labarbera.

The Coyotes seemed like they might make a game of it, closing the Stars lead to only a pair of goals with just over six minutes to play in the middle frame.  Sami Lepisto fired a shot in front of the net that was going to sail wide, but the puck ricocheted off of Stars defenseman Mark Fistric, and into the Dallas net.

But, just a few minutes later, Dallas re-opened the lead to three goals.  Matt Niskanen wound up and fired a shot from the top of the faceoff circles, and it went off Steve Ott in front of the net.  Jamie Benn picked up the loose puck and buried it to make the score 4-1, Dallas.

The Stars pushed their lead further open in the waning minutes of the period.  Dallas got their fourth goal of the period on a power play breakaway. Niskanen and Eriksson broke into the zone with just a single Phoenix defender in front of Labarbera.  In a similar goal to the first one of the period, Niskanen laced a pass through the slot to Eriksson, who put it in the net for the 5-1 lead.

“I’m finding ways to score right now and some guys are making some good plays for me,” Eriksson explained.  ”The first one today was a good pass by Ribster in the slot.  I just tipped it in.  Nisky made a really good pass on the second goal I had too, so it’s nice to find that.”

Phoenix got their second goal of the night at the 2:28 mark of the 3rd period, on the power play.  Defenseman Keith Yandle fired a hard shot from near the blue line that was well-tipped in the slot by Shane Doan, and the Coyotes trailed 5-2.

Dallas Stars captain Brenden Morrow takes a check from Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle. (Photo Credit: Shannon Byrne)

Dallas took a 6-2 lead with 3:27 left in the 3rd period.  The Stars broke into the Phoenix zone and Mike Ribeiro ripped a slapshot from above the faceoff circles.  Brendan Morrow tipped the puck in front of the net to get the goal.  It was Morrow’s 7th of the season, and 200th of his career.  Eriksson’s assist on the goal gave him 4 points on the night, and 200 at the NHL level.

Lauri Korpikoski added a goal for Phoenix in the final minutes, but it was too little, too late for the Coyotes.

“We are becoming a very good club,” said Crawford.  ”Last year we had a good home record and we should have a good record here.  It’s always a result of how hard you work and how hard you stay with the structure of your game.  If you do that you give yourself a chance to be successful.  Tonight it wasn’t systems, it was our players being in the right place and then making the right decision.

“When you’ve got people like Ribeiro and Richards and Eriksson and even the Petersen line,” Crawford continued.  ”They made great decisions all night.  They found the open men and it just seemed whenever we were in a position, we had someone open.  And that’s a sign that your club is really ‘on cue’, so to speak, because our support all over the ice, offensively and defensively, was very good.”

“Everybody’s doing their part,” agreed Richards.  ”Barchy came in tonight and had a couple of scoring chances, did his job.  So, that’s good to see.  That tells you that everyone’s buying in, even guys that are getting in the lineup that haven’t been.  They’re still doing the things we’re all doing.  Every line is contributing, it’s fun.”

Notable:

• The Stars have won three-in-a-row for the 2nd time this season.  It’s the 1st time since the 2007-2008 season that Dallas has won three-in-a-row twice in the same season.
• Loui Eriksson had two goals in the 6-3 win.  The last time a Dallas Stars player had two consecutive multi-goal performances, it was also Eriksson (vs. Phoenix on 12/16/08, 2 goals and vs. Columbus on 12/18/08, 3 goals).  It was also his 4th multi-point game of the season.
• Eriksson’s four points tonight marks a new career-high.  Eriksson’s previous high was three points in a game (he has done that 5 times, most recently against Anaheim on 12/31/09).
• Dallas is now 4-0-0 this season (36-3-6 all-time) when Eriksson records a multi-point game.
• Both Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson continue their point streak.  They have each scored in five consecutive games.
• The team will practice on Monday at 10:30 AM at the McKinney Dr. Pepper StarCenter.  The Dr. Pepper Dallas Stars Foundation Golf Tournament will take place immediately following practice at TPC Craig Ranch (12:30 PM shotgun start).

BDH’s 3 Stars:

1. Loui Eriksson (DAL) – set a career high for points in a single game (2G, 2A) and picked up his 200th career NHL point.
2. Brad Richards (DAL)- had a goal and a pair of assists while centering a line that seems to be on fire.
3. Matt Niskanen (DAL) - played heads-up defense all night and looked good on offensive opportunities, notching two assists.

All photos featured in this article were by Shannon Byrne